Would a Federation warship like the Defiant out gun a Star Wars Star Destroyer? Who has a bigger armada? Who has the tactical advantage? Don’t forget that The Federation includes the Klingons, who love warfare and have fast, agile, heavily armed ships, with cloaking devices, and the Vulcans with superior logic and tactical planning.
The Empire doesn’t have shield technology. I don’t know if their weapons could penetrate shields, but they definitely have no defence against a teleporter. Yes, their fleet could get to any target faster than the UFP, but as long as the target has a teleporter system they can just teleport the commander into space.
The Empire can shield an entire planet. Those big spheres on top of a Star Destroyer’s command tower are shield generators.